Card processing systems currently in use include apparatus for performing processing operations on the plastic cards, such as printing, embossing, laminating and the like, as well as including apparatus for producing and processing printed forms or sheets to which the plastic cards are subsequently attached for sending to customers.
The printed forms are often times produced in a high speed printer which is able to print up to 60 sheets per minute. The printed forms output from the printer are then handled by additional apparatus downstream of the printer to properly prepare the forms for receiving the plastic cards thereon. Each printed form contains personal information thereon related to a particular customer, with each printed form then being matched with the corresponding plastic card for the customer downstream of the printer. Typically these high speed printers are constructed such that the printed forms are output from the printer face down. However, this face down orientation of the forms is not conducive to subsequent handling and processing of the forms, and therefore the forms must flipped over at some point downstream of the printer so as to properly orientate the forms.
Additionally, the size of the paper used to print the forms may vary depending upon the requirements of the intended customer. Some customers may want conventional 81/2.times.11 sized forms, while others may want 81/2.times.14 or even 81/2.times.17 sized forms. The printer will output an 81/2.times.11 form with the long edge first, while the printer will output the 81/2.times.14 and 81/2.times.17 forms with the short edge first, such that the orientation of the forms output from the printer will vary based upon the size of the paper being used. In order to facilitate further operations on the forms, the printed forms must therefore be reoriented at some point downstream of the printer to a common orientation. Further, the larger 81/2.times.14 and 81/2.times.17 forms are usually folded down to 81/2.times.11 size so that all the forms eventually have the same size, thereby facilitating further processing operations. Therefore, the card processing system must be designed to reorientate and fold the forms, in addition to flipping the forms so that they face upward.
Many current card processing systems are also formed as modular systems composed of a plurality of discrete modules, each of which is designed to perform a particular function or functions. The modules can be taken out of, or inserted into, the system so that the system can be adapted to the changing needs of the user. These modular systems are large and take up a lot of space, and therefore any reduction in the size of such a system while maintaining the same processing capabilities would be beneficial.
Often times, a module that is disposed downstream of a high speed printer will develop a fault which prevents the module from accepting any more forms, thereby requiring that the system be paused or stopped to correct the problem. Previously, when this situation has occurred, the forms that are in progress in the printer must be thrown away since the sheets that are in progress in the printer cannot be stopped. Since each printed form contains personal information for a particular customer which must be mated downstream of the printer with the appropriate plastic card, it is time consuming and costly to reprint each of the customer specific printed forms and match the reprinted forms with the appropriate plastic card.
Thus, there is a need for a modular apparatus for use in a modular card processing system which is able to buffer, flip, fold and reorientate forms that are output from a high speed printer.